The largest supplier of these feathers is Whiting Farms in Colorado. Until recently Whiting Farms’ market was fly fishermen, but when American Idol host Steven Tyler started braiding his hair with rooster feathers, “feather hair extensions” became a fashion
trend. According to an email from Whiting Farms, “Each rooster has only a small number of tail feathers that can be used for sales – sometimes none, sometimes 5 or 6.”

After posting our letter we received an email from Whiting Farms president, Thomas Whiting, in response to our question about his claim that
his company “painlessly euthanizes the chickens so there is no distress nor blood.” He wrote: “We use carbon dioxide gas to euthanize all our birds.” By “all our birds” he means the company’s breeding
flocks as well as the roosters born from these flocks for their feathers.

Whiting Farms does not euthanize its birds. “Euthanasia” is a Greek word meaning a “good death.” Death by carbon
dioxide is NOT euthanasia. It is a terrible, cruel death, and as animal scientist Mohan Raj explains,
“Birds and other animals completely avoid, hesitate to enter, or rapidly evacuate from an atmosphere containing high concentrations
of carbon dioxide.”

Carbon dioxide (CO2) activates brain regions in birds and mammals that are involved with the perception of pain. CO2 causes panic in response
to the sensation of suffocation and breathlessness, or dyspnea, that occurs when the amount of atmospheric CO2 exceeds 30 percent. Inhalation
of carbon dioxide is both painful and distressing because birds, like humans, have chemical receptors (intrapulmonary chemoreceptors) that are
acutely sensitive to carbon dioxide. This sensitivity produces an effort to expel the gas by breathing more rapidly and deeply, but breathing
more rapidly and deeply only increases the intake of CO2, leading to suffocation. This is the experience that Whiting Farms is putting its
roosters and parent flocks through in order to extract feathers for fashion and fishing.

What Can I Do?

1) Write to Steven Tyler. Ask him to PLEASE stop wearing rooster feather hair extensions and to publicize his decision. A statement by Steven
Tyler would help eliminate this evil fashion. There are many beautiful animal-free fabrics for Steven Tyler and others to wear instead of
ornaments extracted by violence from mistreated birds.

2) Contact AVEDA. One of our members in New York City was shocked to see feather hair extensions being prominently displayed for sale at the
Scott J. Aveda Salon on W 72nd St. & Columbus Avenue in Manhattan. The feathers came from Whiting Farms via Plume Feathers Extensions.
Aveda, which represents all of its products as plant-based “pure flower and plant essences” (www.aveda.com), assured UPC that feather hair extensions “don’t meet our mission” and
“we don’t support the selling of these products” yet went on to say that their stores are owned and operated by people over
whom Aveda has no control – despite the store carrying their name. This is not acceptable. Let Aveda hear from you. Many animal rights,
vegetarian and other conscientious consumers patronize Aveda which has been nominated for Favorite Hair Care, Makeup, and Body Care in the 2011
Veggie Awards Survey conducted by VegNews Magazine (2011 Veggie Award Polls NOW OPEN).